President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law, benefitting nearly 3 million public workers, including teachers, firefighters, and police officers. The Act eliminates the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), which reduced Social Security benefits for certain public workers with pensions.
How much Social Security benefits may increase:
The new law affects benefits payable after December 2023.
More than 2.5 million Americans will receive a lump-sum payment to make up for the shortfall in benefits they should have received in 2024.
Eliminating the WEP will increase monthly Social Security benefits for 2.1 million beneficiaries by $360, on average, as of December 2025.
Eliminating the GPO will increase monthly benefits by an average of $700 for 380,000 spouses and by an average of $1,190 for 390,000 surviving spouses as of December 2025.
The Social Security Administration is working on implementing the new law. Beneficiaries are advised to ensure their mailing address and direct deposit information are up to date.
The elimination of WEP and GPO will simplify retirement planning, providing additional income to beneficiaries and reducing the need for complex calculations. This change brings relief to many affected individuals and makes retirement planning more straightforward.